The prestigious scientific journal, IEEE Ultrasonics Transactions and Ferroelectrics, has published a paper authored by the Valencian Institute of Dental Research (IVIO), the CEU Cardenal Herrera University and the Universitat Politècnica de València, titled “Ultrasonic Monitoring of Dentin Demineralization”, demonstrating the value of collaboration between different institutions in research projects on ultrasound.
A RESEARCH PROJECT ON THE RELEVANCE OF DENTAL DEMINERALIZATION
This inter-university project aims to study the process that directly affects dental resistance and, consequently, people’s health, since it leads to problems with chewing, hypersensitivity and problems in the dental pulp in teeth. Multiple factors may lead to this pathology, such as tooth decay or surgical procedures.
The extreme complexity of demineralization requires considerable lab testing under optimal conditions. For this specific field of research, ultrasound is an optimal technology, since it is characterized by being fast, non-destructive and it provides localized information on the tissue. In this regard, the project researchers used the ultrasonic pulse-echo technique to evaluate the complete demineralization process of human dentin under controlled laboratory conditions.
The study led by Josep Rodríguez Sendra, Inés Torres Osca, Salvatore Sauro and Francisco Camarena, consisted in the demineralization of up to 15 human dentin teeth with phosphoric acid, a process monitored by a pulse-echo system similar to that used to obtain ultrasound, which has made it possible to know the way in which the acid produces the lesion in the dentin.
THE NEED FOR INTER-UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP
Los resultados del trabajo realizado entre el IVIO, CEU Cardenal Herrera y la UPV reflejan la relevancia que puede llegar a tener la colaboración en el campo investigador de la odontología. La búsqueda de sinergias no conlleva solo el aprovechamiento de recursos, sino que permite intercambiar distintas metodologías, formas de trabajar y áreas de investigación, lo cual fomenta ampliar el campo de estudio consiguiendo unos resultados más completos y, por lo tanto, con más aplicaciones en el sector sanitario.
The results of the project carried out between the IVIO, CEU Cardenal Herrera and the UPV reflect the relevance that partnership can have in the research field of dentistry. The search for synergies does not only involve the use of resources, but also enables the exchange of different methodologies, ways of working and research areas, which encourages the expansion of the field of study, achieving more complete results and, therefore, with more applications in the health sector.
In the case of this study, they were successful in finding a method to monitor the types of injuries that can be induced in a healthy tooth, which together with the applied ultrasonic system, reveals the percentage of demineralization that a tooth has undergone throughout the mineral-loss process, enabling the expansion of the range of studies related to tooth decay and dental erosion, a highly complex area of research.
The relevance of the study has led to the presentation of the results at the XI Iberian Acoustics Congress, the 51st Spanish Acoustics Congress TECNIACUSTICA 2020, which will take place from October 21st to 23rd, 2020 in the Portuguese city of Faro, this time in an E-congress format due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The IVIO-UPV Chair of the Campus Gandia has various partnership frameworks with other institutions or companies to carry out their projects. Their purpose is always to develop new projects to meet the needs that patients demand and to provide new technologies and techniques that further improve the well-being of society.
For more information and inquiries on the iViO-UPV Chair research projects, you can write to Francisco Camarena, research professor at Campus Gandia UPV, at: fracafe@fis.upv.es.
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